Greetings! It's Thursday, June 9 and you're reading The Loop, a quick look at today's news.
Let's start here: The AFP's warning on organised crime
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw has told a meeting of leading crime-fighting figures from the Five Eyes nations — that's the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — that drug cartels and other organised crime groups are being infiltrated and assisted by hostile foreign governments to launder dirty cash and peddle illegal substances in Australia.
Here's some of what he had to say:
- "The long shadow of organised crime and state aggression" is fuelling an increase in serious crimes, while "federal crime in Australia is increasing"
- "State actors and citizens from some nations are using our countries at the expense of our sovereignty and economies"
- "For the AFP, geopolitics and regional instability continue to influence our strategic priorities"
Something you'll be hearing about today: Energy prices
Energy ministers are continuing to warn there's no silver bullet when it comes to easing the nation's energy crisis.
After two hours of emergency talks yesterday, the federal, state and territory ministers have backed measures including giving the energy market operator the power to buy and store gas supplies for future shortages.
There's still no sign that the federal government is preparing to pull the so-called 'gas trigger', which would force exporters to divert more of Australia's supply to the domestic market next year.
Speaking on ABC News Breakfast this morning, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the government was speaking with gas companies, but the issues were more broad.
"It hasn't been a crisis caused by gas shortages," he said.
"Gas plays a role in fixing it, and the pipeline from the north to the south has been full at various points. And we're getting as much gas into the system as we can, so it hasn't primarily been a gas-led crisis.
"It's been a crisis brought about by a whole lot of circumstances. Probably foremost is coal-fired power outages, the fleet is very old, and we've had floods in coal mines.
"When you're reliant on one particular form of energy, like we have been traditionally in Australia on coal-fired power, you are very exposed."
News while you snoozed
- A 29-year-old man has driven a car into a crowd of people in Berlin, killing one person and leaving six others with life-threatening injuries. More than a dozen people, including 14 high school students, were injured after the car twice veered onto the pavement, a police spokesperson said at the scene in western Berlin. Investigators are looking into whether the incident was a deliberate attack or possibly an accident with a medical cause
- British prosecutors said they have authorised police to charge former film mogul Harvey Weinstein with two counts of indecent assault against a woman in London in 1996. Police said the alleged offences against the woman, now in her 50s, took place in during July and August 1996. Unlike many other countries, Britain does not have a statute of limitations for rape or sexual assault
Here's what Australia has been searching for online
- State of Origin. The Queensland Maroons have taken a 1-0 series lead, holding on for a 16-10 win over the New South Wales Blues in Origin I in Sydney. With game two in Perth and a potential decider in Brisbane coming up, the win on enemy soil is a massive step for the Maroons towards reclaiming the shield they last won in 2020
- Larry Nassar. American gymnast Simone Biles and dozens of other women who say they were sexually assaulted by former gymnastics coach Larry Nassar are seeking more than $US1 billion from the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor when the agency first received allegations against him. FBI agents knew in 2015 that Nassar was accused of assaulting gymnasts, but they failed to act, leaving him free to continue to target young women and girls for more than a year. He pleaded guilty in 2017 and is serving decades in prison
One more thing
In case you missed it, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (well, his media team) poked some fun at Gladys Berejiklian before last night's State of Origin game, recreating a much-memed photo the former Premier posted of herself preparing to watch an Origin match while she was in office.
And look, if this becomes a tradition every year, we're not against it.
And here's the incredible original for comparison …
You're up to date!
Catch you later for more news.
ABC/wires
